γράψω

I write about the Bible a lot on this blog. I’ve challenged the idea of the Bible as a moral authority, and I’ve talked a little about the complications about the idea of “Inspiration.” I hope through all of this, you understand that I value the Bible very much. I believe it to be an incredible God-given resource for all Christians, scholars and laypeople alike. I’m not making any formal doctrinal statement with what I wrote. I’m just trying to express to you that I value scripture very much. I’ve dedicated a big chunk of my life to trying to better understand it.

Some interesting things are happening right now in the “Bible translation” world (for lack of a better term). First, Zondervan is pulling the TNIV (Today’s New International Version) because of apparent “mistakes” in translation. In other words, people complained and they backpedaled (can you tell how I feel about it?). You can read more about this decision here.

At the same time, something very exciting is taking place. A new translation is in the works right now called the Common English Bible, and those involved hope to give us with a translation that provides, “Clarity of language, as in ‘plain speaking,’ a reliable, genuine, and credible power to transform live, an emotional expectation to find the love of God, and a rational expectation to find the knowledge of God.” Read more about the translation here.

Here’s where I think this is especially fascinating: We are living in a world where information is at the tips of our fingers, quite literally. We have access to more data than ever before. We can see in real time what is happening all over the globe. Because of this, we can get a little glimpse into the process of creating a new version of the Bible. In other words, we can see the faces and read the bios of the people who are actually translating scripture. And because of that, we’re confronted with realization that the translations we already have didn’t just magically appear. People translated them.

For instance, take a look at both the board of editors (one of whom is Fuller prof Joel B. Green) and the translators of the Common English Bible. All of them are scholars and experts in Hebrew and Greek. They come from so many different faith traditions and bring to the translations process so many unique points of view.

Think about this – These men and women are inspired to do what they are doing, or at least they better be. They are doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves – translate ancient languages into something readable for today. Talking about God’s inspiration in terms of David and Paul and Luke and Isaiah is somewhat pointless if we don’t talk about God’s inspiration in terms of these editors and translators. Think about that. That’s pretty huge! And it really complicates the idea of Inspiration and Biblical authority in big ways.

“Plain sense” gets a little tricky. “Surface readings” become dependent on translators. “Simple faith” means ignoring a lot of serious and valid questions. Are we OK with that? Can we reject the principles of reason, interpretation, hermeneutics and scholarship, but then so heavily rely on the scholars and academics who must translate the Bible for us?

Think about the process. Whatever version you read, remember that it went through a serious translation gauntlet with many men and women just to get in your hands. Let that sink in. It’s a beautiful thing, especially when you think about God’s inspiration through the whole process.